I watched Deja Vu immediately after seeing the superb "Amelie," and the parallels are striking. Both films are premised on the role of a whimsical and amoral 'fate' in setting the course of romance, offering mortals the choice of opting in, thereby risking everything mundane and familiar for immediate joy (which might or might not be everlasting), or opting out, sacrificing true love for the comforts of the safe and familiar -- and both movies posit the epicenter of this sort of fated romance as Montmartre in Paris.
But beyond this, the two films could not be more different. Amelie is pure surreal fantasy set in a "Paris" which despite having been filmed on location, is no more real than Disneyland (although a lot more interesting). Deja Vu is equally a fantasy, but it is set in a much more realistic world, with only a subtly softened romantic aura. The writing, direction, and acting are all serious and good, which creates a paradoxical problem in that one cares a lot more about the future ex's than one would in a bawdy comedy or a surreal fantasy (Amelie avoids this problem entirely by having no ex's). All of which leaves unanswered the question posited by Deja Vu -- is this really romance, or is it madness?
* Possible spoiler follows *
The ending of Deja Vu demands we take it on faith that following the whims of the fates is the right way to go. I would have been happier with more evidence, for example a coda in which architect Sean and would-be innkeeper Dana begin to create a new inn of their own, as pointed contrast to Alex and Dana's aborted plan to restore someone else's dream villa. Absent this I give Deja Vu a 6/10 (worthy effort that fails to satisfy), while I gave Amelie an 8.
But beyond this, the two films could not be more different. Amelie is pure surreal fantasy set in a "Paris" which despite having been filmed on location, is no more real than Disneyland (although a lot more interesting). Deja Vu is equally a fantasy, but it is set in a much more realistic world, with only a subtly softened romantic aura. The writing, direction, and acting are all serious and good, which creates a paradoxical problem in that one cares a lot more about the future ex's than one would in a bawdy comedy or a surreal fantasy (Amelie avoids this problem entirely by having no ex's). All of which leaves unanswered the question posited by Deja Vu -- is this really romance, or is it madness?
* Possible spoiler follows *
The ending of Deja Vu demands we take it on faith that following the whims of the fates is the right way to go. I would have been happier with more evidence, for example a coda in which architect Sean and would-be innkeeper Dana begin to create a new inn of their own, as pointed contrast to Alex and Dana's aborted plan to restore someone else's dream villa. Absent this I give Deja Vu a 6/10 (worthy effort that fails to satisfy), while I gave Amelie an 8.